Presrop
by Tyrphi
Summary: As the Herald is returning from the Hinterlands, she runs into a mercenary group lead by a woman called Shepard. Not everyone is happy when Shepard joins the Herald's inner circle, especially when it seems that there's more this woman wants than just to aid the Inquisition.
1. Cassandra

Presrop-Chapter One: Cassandra

"Drop your weapons! Now!" Sword held in a tight grip, Cassandra stepped between the Herald and the newcomers. "Put your hands where I can see them." Shooting a quick glance behind her, she was glad to see Varric and Solas flanking the Herald. In front of her, the newcomers began to lay down their swords and bows.

"Cassandra, do we really-?" The Herald's voice cut off as if unsure of what else to say.

"They may have helped us close this rift, that does not mean we should let down our guard," Cassandra calmly explained. They had been almost overwhelmed by demons before the strangers had entered the fray and turned the tide in their favor. Still, it was never bad to be cautious. "Now, state your name and purpose," She directed this question at the newcomers.

The group turned to look at the woman in the middle of them, obviously waiting for her orders. A short silence followed as their leader considered her words. Just as Cassandra was about to demand an answer to her question, their leader spoke, "My name is Shepard. My squad and I have come here to help your Inquisition," A small smile passed over the woman's face, almost like a grimace, "Which we have found, apparently." A few of her squad members chuckled at this.

The Herald stepped up next to Cassandra, hesitantly taking charge, "Where..where are you from?" Cassandra had been wondering the same thing, as she could not place Shepard's accent. Although she would be the first to say she was no expert in such an area.

Again their question was met with a small silence before Shepard answered, "Not really from one area, we're more of a roaming band if you take my meaning." Bandits then? No, they held themselves more like soldiers. Mercenaries more like. "Although, even we can see that a hole in the sky isn't something you just ignore," More quiet laughter among her companions. The potential end of the world was funny to them, then? Cassandra let a snarl cross her face, no intention of hiding her dislike of these strangers on her mind. "Now the only question is if you'll accept our help."

"Help from a group of thugs? Surely we can do better than-" Cassandra was stopped short by the Herald's hand on her arm.

Taking a small breath, the Herald quietly asked Cassandra, "Can we really wave off their help? We aren't exactly a large organization yet and they did just save us." Cassandra could not think of how to answer politely and in her silence the Herald continued, "We don't have to trust them completely right away, but they did come here just to help us." Cassandra sighed.

"I…suppose you are right." They really did need all the assistance they could get, as most of Thedas disapproved of them. The Chantry was in pieces after Justinia V's death and suspicious of the Elven Herald of Andraste. Even with Mother Giselle on their side, Cassandra was not sure if the Chantry would support them. The Mages were rebelling everywhere and gave little thought to the hole in the sky while the Templars were busy rounding up said mages. Even the leaders of Thedas' countries were wary of the Inquisition, not sure of its purpose yet. Perhaps mercenaries and the like were the best they could hope for.

Before her, the Herald smiled and turned to look at Shepard and her companions. The Herald took a step towards them and said, "We accept your help with thanks. Do you have any particular…area of expertise?"

"Well," Shepard turned to look at her companions, "My squad would work best on short-term missions. Infiltration, extraction, clearing problems areas..they're not equipped for anything long-term. Just let them know if there's anything you need to get done and they'll do it, really." She turned back to the Herald. "As for me, it seems that you could use an extra hand sealing these..rifts. If you don't mind an extra body, I could tag along with you."

Cassandra scoffed, "The Herald has all the assistance she needs, I am sure you would work much better with your squad." She may have to accept the help of these thugs, but it would be over her dead body if-

"I'd-I would welcome your help, Shepard." The Herald nervously rubbed her hands together, "That is, would that be alright, Cassandra? She did get us out of trouble today so-and I'm not saying you, Solas, and Varric aren't good protection! I just think…" Cassandra watched as the Herald trailed off, uncertainty in her eyes.

Once again Cassandra sighed. Sheathing her sword and shield she answered the Herald, "I suppose it would not hurt to have an extra sword." She shot Shepard a disapproving glare, "That does not mean I trust her, and you should not either. At least, not fully."

The Herald smiled, "Then, welcome to the Inquisition, Shepard."


	2. Ashley

Presrop-Chapter Two: Ashley

"I just don't understand, Skipper." Shepard raised an eyebrow, clearly asking what exactly she was referring to. "The aliens, they all look human. I thought EDI said there were a few different species here," Ashley continued in a low voice, conscious of the four natives walking ahead of them. They were making their slow way back to the Inquisition's home base, Haven, and would arrive there before the day was up. "Even their biological make up is almost identical, I just don't see any reason for division."

"I think it has more to do with their cultures, Ash. Don't think they're even aware of their biology. At least, as we know it."

Ashely sighed, "It's just-ah whatever. I'll never understand this alien shit."

Shepard let out a short laugh, "As long as you can keep going along with it, I think we'll be fine." She shot Ashely a smile, "That part of you hasn't changed since we met, but you've managed."

"So far," she grumbled.

That got another laugh from Shepard.

.

.

"Skipper."

"Yeah, Ash?"

"I'd like to be reassigned, preferably to the Citadel in a nice, comfortable office."

"You'd go stir crazy in five minutes. Besides, it's not so bad here." As Shepard spoke, Ashely couldn't help but feel a smile tug at the corner of her lips. No, it wasn't that bad. Sure as hell wasn't great, though.

They had made it to Haven a little before sunset, where they were promptly shuffled off to set up tents near the soldier's barracks. If they could be called that. The "barracks" were just a few rows of tents set side by side to give the impression of a cohesive unit. The tents Shepard's squad were given were of material Ashely wouldn't have let a dog sleep on and had more holes in it than she'd care to count. Apparently this Inquisition wasn't the most well-funded. That, or they didn't give a shit about their newest recruits. Ashley would bet her last paycheck on the latter.

Shepard had been offered a room in their main building-the Charity, was it?-but she'd wanted to make sure her squad settled in first. Ashley was sure Shepard felt guilty about getting better accommodations than her squad, although they all knew the advantage in being closer to those in charge.

"You'll be alright then, by yourself?" Shepard gave Ashley a quizzical look at her question before letting out a small laugh.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Shepard joked.

"Hey, at least I have our guys with me. You'll be over there with these hole-in-the sky freaks alone."

"…Wipe that worried look off your face, you know I've been through worse."

Ashely shook her head, "Yeah, yeah..Still, make sure you watch your back Shepard."

"Thanks, Ash."

.

.

They had their first assignment. Bad fighting had broken out in some village towards the east. A few of the Inquisition's agents had been compromised and needed evac as soon as possible. Since these agents weren't high priority, apparently they made a great test for Shepard's squad. Ashely was a little resentful at being pushed so far away after only a few days, but she knew there was nothing to be done about it. They had their mission and she'd make damn sure to stick to it. If that meant leaving Shepard alone with these aliens, she'd have to accept it.


	3. Varric

Presrop-Chapter Three: Varric

It wasn't so bad, being in the Inquisition. So far, no insane blood mages had chopped up anyone for a less-than-pleasant ritual. There weren't any attacking armies of Qunari to deal with. And the food was better than some of the shit he'd been served in the Hanged Man. So, yeah, overall Varric couldn't really complain.

"I still do not understand why she allowed that thug to join us."

Ah, perhaps there was one thing he could deal without. Varric held back his sigh, "Something wrong, Seeker?" His voice was innocent, an easy smile rising to his face.

Cassandra turned her head to shoot him a look as she continued stomping forward, "No, dwarf, everything is perfectly fine."

"Alright, Seeker, have it your way," Varric let the matter drop. His eyes wandered past Cassandra to the Herald, who was leading their small group through trees, searching for the rift she'd felt nearby. He couldn't help but feel bad for the kid, caught up in all this crazy shit. She'd just been a Dalish mage not two months past, and now people were crawling at her feet calling her holy. Hell, she'd never even had any real contact with other races up until this point. According to Varric's informants, her clan was a solitary one, roaming the wilds of the Freemarches and staying well away from any towns or cities. Still, she hadn't broken down crying and screaming yet, so he supposed she was managing.

Varric let his attention go to the elf next to her, silent as usual. So far his agents hadn't turned up anything on him, but Varric didn't find that too concerning. It was apparent Solas was a recluse and wanderer, hell, he probably hadn't had a place to call a home in years. Varric figured the most he'd pick up on the guy was that he'd spent ten years in a cave eating acorns, preaching to any unlucky soul to have wandered in on him.

Then there was the newbie, Shepard. Mercenary bands left footprints and track records everywhere, even if they were trying to be discreet. And one look at Shepard's squad told him they'd seen their fair share of battle. It rubbed Varric entirely the wrong way when his agents hadn't been able to pick up anything on them. No contracts from anyone who'd hired them, no regular armorers who might have outfitted their troop, no records of any deaths in their name, just nothing. Sure, Thedas was a hell of a big place to search for one small mercenary company, but it troubled Varric that he hadn't gotten anything in the two weeks they'd been here. Usually his people were faster than that.

.

.

Once they were back at camp, Varric decided to do some interrogating of his own. He'd kept conversations with Shepard light up until this point, not wanting to set off any alarm bells in her head. He figured she'd have dropped her guard around him somewhat though, as the two had gotten along fairly well. At least, she laughed at the jokes he'd made.

"Hey, Fuzzy, you never did tell us where you're from." Varric threw out a smile, wanting her to think this was just casual conversation. As his question was met with narrowed eyes and a tightened jaw, he knew he need to backtrack a bit, "I mean, we know Chuckles rose up from the dirt to join us people-folk and the Seeker has been stealing poor dwarves to interrogate them in her free time. Just wondering, you don't have to answer," He laughed, a further attempt to ease tension, "Not like we don't all enjoy our privacy."

Shepard smiled, suspicion leaving her eyes. Good. She considered her response a moment before answering, "Originally? Just a small farming town out east, nothing you would have heard of." She took a swig from her canteen, gulping the water loudly. Was she nervous? Buying for time? Just thirsty? "Right before we came here we were up north, bit of a lull in between jobs, you know?" Varric would have to double-check with his agents on that one, but he was damn sure he knew a lie when he heard it. "Nothing too terribly interesting." She took another swig of water before continuing, "My turn for a question."

"Oh? This should be good."

"Why Fuzzy?"

Varric let out a real laugh at that, "Well, you know, from Shepard." He was met with confusion, "Shepard's have sheep and sheep are fuzzy. Not my most creative, I'll give you that, but I think it fits."

"….I'm just glad you didn't go with puffball, then."


	4. Lavellan

Presrop-Chapter Four: Lavellan

They were at the gates to Val Royeaux and Lavellan couldn't have felt more worried if she'd tried. The guards weren't allowing them to pass, saying that their city wouldn't accept heretics and godless elves. Cassandra was arguing loudly with the taller guard, trying to force her way into the city. She wasn't having much luck. Solas and Shepard were next to Lavellan, staying silent and observing Cassandra. Varric stood on the other side of her cracking jokes. Lavellan didn't even bother to listen to him, as much of his humor flew over her head. Surely there was a way they could get into the city, if only-

"My, my, what a scene we have over here," The voice came from behind the metal gates, a figured obscured beyond them. "I'm certain all of this fuss couldn't be over one small elf?"

The guard Cassandra had been yelling at straightened up and saluted as soon as the voice had spoken, "Madame de-I mean, First Enchanter, I apologize for this disturbance." He shot Cassandra a glare, "We'll have this rabble off as soon as possible."

"Now dear, why ever would you do that?" The guard was clearly confused at her question, but the First Enchanter payed him no mind, "Tell me, are these gates going to be opened anytime soon? I would find conversation so much easier if I could see your face."

The guards visibly paled as they rushed to open the gate for her. As the woman stepped through, Lavellan was immediately impressed by her. Her outfit shone in the midday sun, vibrant colors complimenting each other perfectly, and the look she gave the guards as she passed them froze Lavellan's blood, and it wasn't even directed at her. This woman was made of elegance and power. With a jolt, Lavellan realized that the First Enchanter was approaching her, although she was relieved to find a welcoming smile on the other woman's face.

"You are the Herald of Andraste, I presume?" The First Enchanter asked, eyes kind.

Lavellan felt blood rush to her cheeks, " I-yes, that's what they're calling me." She hated it.

"I am the First Enchanter to the Imperial Court of Orlais, although many call me Madame de Fer," Lavellan didn't know how to answer, unsure what 'de fur' meant. Seeing this, the First Enchanter clarified, "It is a quaint nickname meaning the Lady of Iron. You may simply call me Vivienne, as it is much less of a mouthful."

Lavellan smiled at that, "You can just call me Lavellan, that is, if you want. Also easier to say." Her blush intensified. She kept tripping over her words and backtracking. Lavellan hoped Vivienne wouldn't mind, as regal and composed as she was.

"Lavellan, yes. Much more pleasant on the tongue."

Vivenne looked as if she were going to continue, but it was then that Cassandra decided to step in, "I do not suppose you could help us enter the city, Madame.."

"Vivienne." Her eyes turned chilly as she looked at Cassandra. Lavellan couldn't understand why.

"Madame Vivienne, then. If you could help us-"

"I could." Vivienne turned back to Lavellan, expression softening, "And I will, provided you allow me a favor in return."

Lavellan blinked, but was quick to answer, "I-yes, what do you need?" Despite her attitude towards Cassandra, Lavellan had a good feeling about Vivienne.

"I would ask for the opportunity to help your Inquisition." Vivienne paused a moment before continuing, "Particularly, I would like to assist you personally, Lavellan. As you seem one of the few proper minds here."

Lavellan could see Cassandra tense up, obviously not wanting to continue to add people to their little inner circle. But the look the Seeker gave Lavellan told her that Cassandra would go along with what she suggested. Looking back at Vivienne, Lavellan knew she really had only one option, they needed to get into the city, "Of course. The Inquisition appreciates your help, as do I." Luckily Lavellan already liked Vivienne, so the decision wasn't a hard one.

Vivienne smiled, "Wonderful, darling. Come, and let Val Royeaux welcome you."


	5. Solas

Presrop-Chapter Five: Solas

The First Enchanter's mansion was quite grand, not something he would have expected from a Circle Mage. As he had come to understand it, they were usually treated little better than locked animals. Still, even a gilded caged was a prison.

He was in the room that had been given to him, full to the brim with lavish decorations and expensive frivolities. Solas would have much preferred to have stayed somewhere less gaudy, although he was aware it would offend the First Enchanter if he questioned her taste. As amusing as it would be to see her expression if he did make a comment, he did not wish to make any trouble for the Herald.

At the thought of the young elf, Solas felt another wave of guilt wash over him. He made no attempt to stop it, as he was knew he deserved far worse for placing the young woman in such horrible situation. If only he had waited a bit longer, perhaps he could avoided his mistake. He sighed, there was little use complaining about his error, all that he could do now was to find a way to rectify it.

"Know where the food's at?"

The voice startled Solas, and the person far more. The mercenary leader Shepard stood in his doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Her expression was open, relaxed, no indication to let Solas know if she had purposely tried to surprise him. They had not conversed much in the weeks since she had joined, and he was wary of her. It was obvious that she was hiding something, Solas suspected it had to do with her place of origin as he could not recognize her accent. He had also noticed her lack of familiarity with many of Thedas's customs, although she was quick to cover up her confusion. Making sure not to let any of this thoughts show, he answered, "As it is not yet time to dine, I suspect the only place you will find food is in the kitchens. I am certain the staff would accommodate you, were you to ask."

"..Right." She didn't make any move to leave, only stared at him.

"Was there any other assistance you needed?" He did not like how scrutinizing her gaze was.

She waited a moment before answering, "I've been meaning to ask, what kind of jaw is that?" Her gaze flickered down to his necklace briefly.

Off all the questions she could have offered, he would not have suspected this to be one. What could she gain from knowing this? He had a small thought that she guessed his identity, but quickly wrote it off. That was his own paranoia, it was ridiculous that she could have thought that so soon, "It is a wolf's jaw. I have had it since I was a young man, it is a … reminder of sorts."

Her expression did not change, "Oh." Had he said too much? He had not given away much, although- she cut him off, "I can understand that." He let his face show his confusion. "Wanting to keep reminders. Some things shouldn't be forgotten." Here her face showed a brief flicker of deep emotion. It was a look Solas had seen many times, that of a soldier remembering past battles. Past losses. He knew her for a mercenary, although he would not have guessed her to have had such feelings. He found that most mercenaries did not dwell upon past deaths. They took it as part of the job. Silently, Solas stored this piece of information away to examine later.

Shepard shook her head, raising her hand in a farewell, "Thanks. Hopefully they have some nice cake down there. Been a while since I've had something sweet." She left, leaving Solas to ponder their short conversation.


End file.
